Malta Poker Festival Brings Mizrachi and Millions to the Mediterranean

Malta Poker Festival 2026

A €1M Grand Event Hosted by a WSOP Champion

While it’s impossible to claim that the Malta Poker Festival put all its event eggs into one basket, it’s just as impossible to ignore the obvious headliner — the €600 Grand Event, with a €1 million guarantee beginning October 23.

From there, the tournament runs almost the entire length of the festival, counting multiple starting flights through November 1, including a turbo flight on the final opening day, before the surviving field combines for Day 2 on November 2 and the final table on November 3.

And while the numbers are promising, we’d argue that’s not the only aspect that makes this event, well — grand. The 2025 WSOP Main Event champion, Michael Mizrachi is scheduled to host throughout the Grand Event, from the opening flights all the way through to the final table.

One of the people responsible for putting such a recognizable face on the 2026 edition is undoubtedly Ivonne Montealegre, who founded the Malta Poker Festival in 2018 and has spent the years since building it to what we’ve come to know today:

What Else Is Hiding Beyond the Grand Event

Even though the Main Event deserved its own spotlight, the organizers made sure that there is much more to the 2026 Autumn edition than its headliner.

Parallel to the headliner is the €250 Mini IPS, which starts on October 23 with, while the €390 IPS begins on October 29 and carries the biggest guarantee of the entire festival at €1.5 million.

From there on out, the schedule branches out quite a bit.

There is The Hendon Mob Championship, H.O.R.S.E., eight-game action, PLO events, a Seniors tournament and Ladies First!, hosted by Kerryjane Craigie. To no surprise, Halloween gets its own tournament on October 31, while November 2 brings a €1,150 High Roller Mystery Bounty hosted by Montealegre herself.

From its early years, Montealegre has pitched the Malta Poker Festival less as a tournament aimed at seasoned grinders and more as one where recreational and newer players should feel comfortable turning up, as she explained:

Full Malta Poker Festival 2026 Schedule